Estoy Nueces

I am quite overdue for an entry, but it was a long holiday weekend and busy, busy, busy. Now we enter the Jette-created Holidailies. Don't know if there is an official Holidailies this year, but I am going to keep up the tradition (is this the third year?) and try to do a daily update.

At work I have a checklist daily to make sure I do what must be done. Other things may fall through the cracks, but what is on my daily checklist usually gets accomplished. I MUST create one for here at home. I will put Write in the Journal, Feed the animals, Do commercials for my stations, and anything else I can think of that must be done. Those are just my Before I Leave for Work List.

I had Kelly Willis on my show last week and she was so beautiful and easy to talk to. I enjoyed playing the songs she chose and hearing her lovely lilting Southern accent. Then I went to see her and Bruce Saturday night at the Paramount. What a fabulous show. If you can catch it at one of the other venues (even Gruene Hall is coming up and close by)... DO! The Paramount added that extra measure of elegance, but to hear them singing their songs together was a first for me. Her background vocals on Bruce's songs, his background on hers. The new song from Bruce about visiting her family in Oklahoma for their first holiday together... So many thrilling moments.

I introduced the Greencards, the opening act, and then introduced their segment, too. I looked elegant in my velvet Christmas clothes and wasn't too incredibly nervous. Weird to not be able to see your audience when you're speaking (what am I saying? I do that every day!). Neat to be backstage at the Paramount.

Full sentences. I need to type full sentences.

The family was all here for the holiday weekend, staying three nights. Some here, some at a motel. Nice to have everyone around for two days when I didn't have to work at the station. I cooked everything except pie and it was delicious. Couldn't have been better. Best dressing I've ever made. And I made cinnamon rolls for two mornings, and except for one batch coming out "smoked" and tasting like a smoked turkey or ham, they were the best. The smoke was a downer of the day when grease from my shallow roasting pan dripped into the oven and created a smoke-filled house sending the relatives (especially dad and his emphasema) out onto the patio. Even more of a downer when Mark insisted on CLEANING the oven at that point, which didn't mean just wiping it out, it meant tearing it apart with tools and cleaning every screw and metal part. He continued on from there in my way every part of the day cleaning the "disaster" as he called it, and then going on to the counters and refrigerator! I asked him to put a stick of butter on the butter plate and put it on the table and that turned into a thorough cleaning of the refrigerator. sigh sigh sigh DEEP BREATH This too will pass

Back to work on Saturday and Sunday and a normal day today. I think I'm rested and ready for it. I'm just glad all the cramming and preparation at work for the long weekend is over and my schedule is relatively calm for the next few weeks (for the season anyway).